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IMMORTELLES 



AND 



OTHER POEMS, 



Washington Van Dusen. 



3^ 



101890^ ^^ 

TroTT 



^^- 



PRESS OF J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. 

I 890. 






Copyright, 1890, by Washington Van Dusen. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

' IMMORTELLES 7 

' THE UNDERTOW 8 

^DRIFTING 9 

, HER MISSION 11 

. THE TWO SONGS 12 

^ONCE A FRIEND, A FRIEND FOREVER 13 

vSEA DREAMS ' 15 

-A SONG OF LOVE 16 

^VINTER'S ROSES 17 

uIN THE GARDEN OF GOD 18 

SONG 20 

i^THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 21 

■^A LESSON FROM THE BROOK 22 

y LONGING 23 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 
J 

THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 24 

^' THE CUP OF LIFE 25 

^ VOICES OF NATURE 26 

si AFTER THE STORM 28 

^ ESTRANGED 29 

^" ALL'S WELL!" 30 

■^ NEGLECTED 31 

^ THE COMMON BOND 32 



Immortelles and Q^^^^^ Poems. 



IMMORTELLES. 

O MODEST flower! recall the grace 
Of one who loved and gathered thee ; 

For thou art now the only trace 

That brings her memory back to me. 

The immortelles all withered lie 

That once, like snow-flakes, charmed my gaze 
The only flowers that never die 

Are memories of happy days. 

\. 

Alas ! so changed with years we grow, — 
So soon are bloom and beauty o^er, — 

AVe might pass by and never know 
The face that haunted us of vore. 

Life's river hurries on each hour, 
And turns to new scenes evermore ; 

And leaves behind some cherished flower. 
To fade on Time's recedins: shore. 



8 THE UNDERTOW. 

Time, take these crumbled flowers and sever 
The last endearing charm from me; 

But in my heart, oh, leave forever 
The immortelles of memory I 



THE UNDERTOW. 

We gaze upon the sunlit sea, 

But cannot scan the depths below. 

Nor dream how strong its pulse may be, 
Until we feel its undertow. 

We may know well a sunny face, 
But not the silent tide below ; 

The inner grace we cannot trace. 
We know not what the undertow. 

Our life is more than we yet see ; 

There still are greater depths to know ; 
The surface beautiful may be, 

But grander is the undertow. 



DRIFTING. 



We cannot fathom all the strife, 
The mysteries that round us flow ; 

We only have a faith in life, 
We only feel the undertow. 



DRIFTING. 



Gently flows the peaceful river, 
Smiling with the sunny day, 

While my little boat is drifting 
Calmly on its idle way. 

Many hurry by me swiftly, — 
Some in pity, some in pride ; 

While adown the placid waters 
I go drifting with the tide. 

Time enough when rapids near me. 
Or breakers dash my barque aside, 

To seize the oars and bravely 

Through the foaming torrent ride. 



1 DRIFTING. 

But why now mar this rest so tranquil, 

Why forget this joyous day, 
Leaving flowery banks, though narrow, 

Urging for the broader way? 

Let me check ray course a moment, 
Let me drift awhile and dream ; 

Ah ! my boat may glide so slowly, 
Yet too soon be down the stream ! 

Careless of the shores beyond me, 

What shoals, what tempests, I must bide ; 

Knowing that the stream must bear me. 
And I cannot change the tide. 

Let me, like some trustful swimmer, 

Resting on the salty brine. 
With my eyes upon the heavens, 

Calmly on life's wave recline ; 

Till a hush falls on the waters. 

And a calm breathes from the skies, 

As the western sun, descending, 
Gilds the day that slowly dies; 



HER MISSION. 11 

And the great Sea spreads before me, 
While its fading heavens wide, 

Calmly shed a parting glory 
In the golden eventide. 



HEE MISSION. 

She drew no form with matchless skill, 
She carved no sculptured bust of stone, 

She sang no song fame's voice to fill, 
l^or swept the keys with thrilling tone; 

But cast herself in finer mould : 

She finely touched the hearts of men 

To see the flower of truth unfold. 
And bloom on earthly soil again. 

She came the passing crowd among, — 
It seemed to breathe diviner air; 

Her smile disarmed the idler's tongue. 

Who turned and blessed her with a prayer. 



12 THE TWO SOXGS. 

Reflecting heaven in her &ce. 

Men gazed and took new heart the while; 
Sorrow owned her kindly grace. 

And Envy dropped its m)wn to smile. 

What matter that no special task 
Was hers amid the eartlily strife? 

She gave earth all that Heaven coold ask : 
Her presence was the bread of life. 



THE TWO SOXGS. 

The sea was calm, the waves, with moffletl roar, 

Sang dirges in an undertone: 
Bat time, unmovei, lay on the drowsy shore, 

Xor cared to hear the surges moan. 

Like words that softly breathe a fond desire, 
But fail the heart's great depths to reach. 

Wave after wave sang, only to retire 
Unheeded from the tranquil beach. 



OXCE A FEIEST'. 

Bat ere the setting snn sank to repose 
A gule swept o'er the swelling sea. 

And mountain high the crested breakers rose 
And sang their grandest melody I 

And Time now brightened with the foaming sor^e. 

And heard with thrilling pulse once more 
The long-r^ounding breaker's song and dirge 

That rang upon the wild, wild shore! 

So, thrilling words and melodies sublime 
Roll from the flood of years passed o'er; 

Borne like a surge upon the shores of time. 
To ring in memory evermore ! 



OXCE A FEIEXr. A FRIKST) FOR- 

Oycz th'.'U wert happy by my side, 
Xow oceans roll our path between. 

And late has sundered far and wide 

The hope, the love that might have been. 



14 OXCE A FRIEXD, A FRIEND FOREVER. 

Still, something lives time canoot sever, 
And firom its volume, old and grav. — 
Remembering a happier day, — 
I torn the faded leaves and saj, 

Once a friend, a friend forever. 

Bound with my life inseparable 

Are happy days once spent with you; 

And though the loss be now irreparable. 
And friendships old give place to new, 

Why should a careless word dissever 
The sweet remembrance of the true? 
Xo, no I my heart still follows you, 
Where'er you roam 'neath Heaven's blue; 

Once mv friend, my friend forever ! 

Your picture hangs upon the wall 
Just as of old, and fair to view; 

So, through time's flight and changes all. 
Lives something still unchanged to you. 

Live with my past I may memory never 
Lose all the bloom and save the thorn, 
Nor from divided heart be torn 
The flower of friendship, which, onc-e worn, 

Mav leave its fragrance there forever. 



SEA DEEAilS. 15 

SEA DREAMS. 

Tis a beautifal day, and the ships far awav 
Sail over the sea till thev vanish from me; 
And the waves seem to sav. Oh, dream while 
yoQ mav. 
While the springtide of yoath overflows like 
the sea. 

Some one bv my side is watching the tide 
And the white-caps that roll from the far- 
away blue; 
In sweet silence I bide, while the glad moments 
glide, 
And love breathes a dream that hope would 
prove true. 

Ah, so sweet here to rest, with the one I love 
best. 
While the surges roll high and the c«x>l 
breezes blow; 
Till the orb in the west sinks slowly to rest, 
And sheds its sweet calm on the waters below. 



16 A SONG OF LOVE. 

Life flows on complete like the day full and 

sweet ; 

Joy swells every shore of being's strange sea ; 

And but comes one regret, that the day now 

to set 

Must so soon with its beauty vanish from me. 

Oh, beautiful day, how fain would I stay 
The lingering rays on thy gold-gleaming 
shore ! 
But the hours speed away like the waves that 
to-day 
Roll from their depths to return nevermore. 



A SONG OF LOYE. 

She swept the sweet chords with a tremulous tone, 
And thrilled all my soul with the strain. 

As it rose with the promise of infinite bliss. 
And sighed out its burden of pain. 



WINTER^S ROSES. 17 

" Forever/' she sang, ^'the heart, like the sea, — 
Breathing a song that will never be stilled, — 

Restlessly yearns for a love not to be, 
With a longing that will never be filled. 

" Oh, love, why do you come with a rapturous 
kiss, 

And wound me with promises vain ? 
Why, with the key-note of infinite bliss, 

Comes the burden of infinite pain?^^ 



WINTER^S EOSES. 

Lo! a window filled with roses 
Beams upon the snow-clad street; 

And my eye with joy reposes 
On the loveliness I meet ; 

Whilst the wintry breezes blow, 

And around me falls the snow. 
2 



18 IN THE GARDEN OF GOD. 

But what roses charm my gaze 
With an ever-hardy bloom, 

Cheer the streets on cheerless days, 
Sending sunshine through the gloom ! 

Whilst the wintry winds that blow 

Give their cheeks a rosier glow. 

O sweet roses, in your prime, 
Cherish youth before it's past ! 

Wait not till the touch of time 
Robs you of your bloom at last ; 

Shed your fragrance now upon 

Friends who live when beauty's gone! 



IN THE GARDEN OF GOD. 

I TRAMPLED dowu a little flower 
One day, in idle sport and mirth; 

But its ashes held a secret power, — 
Another bloomed and blessed the earth, 



IN THE GARDEN OF GOD. 19 

I cast aside a heavy stone, 

But knew not then the ore I rolled ; 
And cursed the dust, as I walked alone. 

Unconscious of its hidden gold. 

I shouted on the evening breeze, — 
I marred the calm and sacred air ; 

It breathed in cadence through the trees. 
And held me captive unaware. 

Truth came to me with air divine. 
But I mocked her form and features fine; 
Till her face, transfigured in the light, 
Assumed new splendor in my sight. 

I saw the Keeper, and He said. 

Go where you like, do what you will ; 

The truth will hover o'er your head, 
The earth will bloom in beauty still. 



20 SONG. 



SONG. 

O LOVELY spirit, form divine ! 

Though I may never see 
Thy face by day, I'll not repine 

If night brings dreams of thee. 

Like some sweet song, some far-off swell 

That charms a moment rare, 
Thy phantom presence throw^s its spell, 

And melts upon the air. 

Then lovely spirit, form divine, 

Still disembodied be; 
Day mars the heart that would be thine ; 

Come in my dreams to me. 



THE LIGHT IX THE DARKNESS. 21 

THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. 

The shades of night fall on ray way, 
And darkness holds its gloomy sway, 
While spectres strange my vision greet, 
And graves lie open at my feet; 
The chilling winds against my face 
Enfold me in their cold embrace; 
Doubt and despair close at my heel, — 
What hope, what pleasure can I feel, 
While throuo-h this tanorled maze alone 
I tread ray way with heart of stone? 

A gentle voice falls on ray ear, — 

Love cries, ^' Take heart, for I am here! 

I am the sun that lights the soul, — 

Earth's central fire that warms the whole ; 

I keep the life that heaven instils 

Firm as the everlasting hills : 

The sun, the warmth, the light, the fire, 

I give the zest to all desire. 

Come, take my hand, and thou shalt see 

That heaven itself must lean on me." 



22 A LESSON FROM THE BROOK. 



A LESSON FROM THE BROOK. 

A BROOK ran merrily clown the mountain-side, 
As free and careless as a wayward child, 

Until a rock debarred its rushing tide 

And backward hurled its restless waters wild. 

But still the brook pursued its winding w^ay, 
And only paused to shed a passing foam, 

As on the stubborn rock it dashed its spray. 
And hurried swiftly from its mountain home. 

And still, unmindful in its idle bed, 

The rock slept on through centuries untold, 

Whilst evermore upon its helpless head 
The sandy torrent and the pebbles rolled. 

The years have passed ; and now those waters 
flow 

In silence o'er the head of fallen pride; 
For on the sands the wave-worn rock lies low, — 

A remnant ^neath the ever-moving tide! 



LONGING. 23 

So lowly merit carves its rugged way, 
And passes o'er each barrier of time ; 

So patience smooths the road, day after day, 
Till silent perseverance grows sublime. 



LONGING. 



Like a restless sea, whose surges 
Would kiss the vaulted skies, 

My longing heart leaps upward 
Only to fall with baffled cries. 

Yearning with restless endeavor 
And hopes alluring and vain. 

Soaring with passion to heaven, 
And foiling in passionate pain. 

Streams of life pouring within me 
Like the rivers that run to the sea ; 

Still, like the sea, yearning, unsated, 
Unrest takes possession of me. 



24 THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 

Oh, love, come with thy fuhiess of spirit 
Filling the void existing in me, 

Till my life, like a wave universal, 
Laps every shore of life's infinite sea. 



THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. 

Stand not on the banks bewailintr 
That the stream flows not thy way; 

All thy grief is unavailing, — 

This is the tide that serves to-day. 

" Nay, the current stern defying, 
Still the waters roar and rage; 

Give us back the faith undying 
Of our fathers' golden age." 

Vain thy backward stroke and struggle, 
Wliile the tide, resisting thee. 

Casts its spray and breaks the bubble, 
And every drop will reach the sea. 



THE CUP OF LIFE. 25 

" Nay, but Error's shoal's ahead ; 

And, where lights that once beamed true, 
Beacons strange now shine instead, 

And truth is lost to view." 

Nay, this is the stream of truth, 

And its current evermore 
Sweeps aside and leaves in rush 

Error's driftwood on the shore. 

Then, sweep onward, mighty river. 
With thy good and evil powers; 

Lo ! thy course is from the Giver, 
And in higher hands than ours. 



THE CUP OF LIFE. 

A COOLING drink may quench the thirst, 
A night of slumber rest the brain, 

A little food may hunger still, 

A balm may ease the throb of pain. 



26 VOICES OF NATURE. 

But who drinks life's cup will ne'er be full, 
Nor can the baffled thought find rest; 

The longing heart will ne'er cease to crave, 
Nor the mind be eased of its endless quest. 



VOICES OF NATURE. 

Come, though fortune close her gates to thee, 
And fame refuse thy proffered name obscure ; 

Come where the portals swing forever free, 
And mansions rise whose beauty shall endure. 

The forest monarchs, — pillars of a race 

That wreathe with green the vault of heaven's 
blue, — 

From heights serene, breathe down a quiet grace : 
A sigh, a song, perhaps a word for you. 

By roaring cataract and silent dell. 

By rocky gorge and tuneful ocean's strand, 

There voices breathe what volumes cannot tell, 
There is the wealth cast by the Master's hand ! 



VOICES OF NATURE. 27 

No lowly flower that you pass heedless by, 
No moaning pine nor merry bird that sings, 

But woos your yearning heart's despondency 
And courts the slumbering love of purer 
things. 

And yet his glowing touch unheeded dies, 
His music falls unheard on drowsy ears; 

The tuneless chords within give no replies, 
Like slackened strings unmoved by joy or 
tears. 

Then sing, strange voices by the sounding shore. 
Where ocean's heaving surge is ceaseless 
strewn, — 

Roll out in mournful dirges evermore 

That something in man's life is out of tunc ! 



28 AFTER THE STORM. 



AFTER THE STORM. 

Cold, cold, and desolate the bleak earth lies, 
And the sea grows dark while the sullen skies 

Outpour 
Their watery floods, and the wild wiuds urge 
The maddened sea wnth its foaming surge 

To the shore. 

And my heart grows weary with the sad refrain 
Of the dying waves repeating one strain 

O'er and o'er. 
But a cheering gleam illumes the west, 
And behold, on the billows far-off crest 

Sunbeams ])our ! 

Then, crowning all the glorious view, 

The bow of Heaven spans the skies clear blue 

As of yore; 
And brighter rolls the crested surge. 
But changeless rings the song and dirge 

On the shore. 



ESTRANGED. 29 

So life, like a wave, in sunshine or rain, 

Is borne from the depths of the limitless main 

To the shore ; 
And its mists may veil Heaven, yet hold to our 

eyes 
The bright arch of hope on the eternal skies 
Evermore. 



ESTRANGED. 



Her heart has changed, while mine, the same. 

Is constant as the yearning sea, 
Yet sinks to watch the dying flame 

That cheered and warmed the heart of me. 

Love was the bond between us twain. 
And love possessed the magic key; 

But some link in the golden chain 
Has parted life and love for me. 



30 



!" 



I censure not tlie heart estranged, — 
Love may be firm, but must be free; 

I only sigh to think when changed, 

She changed, — she changed the world for me! 



"ALL'S WELL!" 

Lo ! I walk beside the river. 

While the stars shine in the sky, 

And the moonbeams gently quiver 
On the waters flowing by. 

And the great ships lie before me, 
Calmly sleeping on the tide; 

And a peacefulness comes o'er me 
That I wish W'Ould long abide. 

Hark ! far o'er the waters stealing, 
Faintly sounds a distant bell. 

And a voice stirs all my feeling 
As it answers back, " All's well !" 



NEGLECTED. 31 

And the peace of nature fills me, 
And the chords within that swell 

Echo, whilst that greeting thrills me, 
Heaven's watchword, — "All is well!" 



NEGLECTED. 



A VIOLET by the roadside grew 

Unnoticed and alone, 
Among the wild flowers basking there. 

Beside a mossy stone. 

What hurt it that the passers-by 

No kindly glances threw. 
Still smiled the sun, and from the sky 

Still came the freshening dew. 

So, scorned by pride of place or birth, 

The truth may lowly lie. 
Yet feel the warmth born not of earth. 

And let the world pass by. 



32 THE COMMON BOND. 



THE COMMON BOND. 

You may soar to heights elysian, 
And think beyond the common ken, 

But tlie lowly crowd has claims on you 
To be a man among men. 

Dream of a life without the world, 

But know the bond that binds you when 

You kindly take each proifered hand. 
And be a man among men. 



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